62nd Giraglia Rolex Cup offshore race finish
by Giraglia Rolex Cup Media Centre 19 Jun 2014 20:33 BST
19 June 2014
Line honours for Esimit Europa in the 62nd Giraglia Rolex Cup offshore race in 2014 © Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi
After 24 hours, 35 minutes and 56 seconds of sailing (at 12:35:56 CEST), Esimit Europa 2 was for the fourth time first to sail over the finish line of the Giraglia Rolex Cup, which is its jubilee 30th consecutive line honours victory.
Her elapsed time of 24 hours, 35 minutes, 56 seconds was well outside her record (14 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds) for the 62nd edition of 241-nm race, which she set in 2012 when the race finished in Sanremo. The predicted tricky wind conditions of the past 24 hours put paid to any hope of bettering her benchmark time.
The arrival was a special moment. The YCM is the home-club for the Slovenian yacht and owner, Igor Simcic, and the race crew featured Pierre Casiraghi of Monaco and a member of the YCM Management Committee.
Quotes
Jochen Schumann, Skipper, Esimit Europa 2: "It was perfect to win line honours in this special edition of the Giraglia Rolex Cup finishing in Monaco. We were lucky to finish much earlier than expected. Aside from a critical point off Saint-Tropez where the wind was very light and Robertissima was really close we got our strategy just right.
"It was better than expected because we never stopped 100%. We always had breeze even if it was down to 2/3 knots at times. Usually in this race it shuts down and gets very glassy off the tip of Corsica, but on this occasion we had 13 knots of wind and sailed around with 14/15 knots of boat speed."
Igor Simcic, Owner, Esimit Europa 2: "The race was perfect. In the beginning we had some light wind, which made it a little tricky in deciding which tactic to follow. We made a compromise in the beginning to cover the competition. Then it became much easier when the fresh breeze came in the night when we were really fast. Even here at the end when we were expecting it to be really tough there was enough."
"For me it was the best finish in my life. It was a unique idea to finish the race in Monte-Carlo. We were prepared to win. With Jochen everything is clear. We have to choose the best members for the crew, not just as sailors but also as a person because we are a big family and are happy when we are sailing together."
Monegasque Pierre Casiraghi, Helmsmen, Esimit Europa 2: "Being able to be at the helm of this boat was just fantastic for me. Any sailor would dream to be able to be in this position." In his first race with the fastest and technologically most advanced European yacht, who sailed under the European flag, he stressed how much he appreciated to collaborate with such a top level team: "It is a fantastic crew, we have eleven countries onboard and everything works fine and is very organized. We have also seen the Giraglia rock even though we passed it during the night, the moon was shining through and we passed it in 16, 17 knots, it was much faster than we expected."
18:00 CEST Update
Six yachts have currently finished the race. with Robertissima III second boat home. Tonight and tomorrow will see a flood of yachts arriving and the docks in front of the new Yacht Club de Monaco clubhouse filled will crews enthusiastically joining the festivities and ceremony surrounding the inauguration of the building by HSH Prince Albert II, President of the YCM, tomorrow afternoon and evening.
For more detailed information about the 2014 Giraglia Rolex Cup including results and race tracking please visit the Yacht Club Italiano website.